what next? i have finally got the neuropathy pain in my feet, and the restless leg syndrome under control with meds and now my knees are stepping up and driving me absolutely nuts. they have gone past aching and have now entered the achy pain threshold. it always seems to start up around 3:30/4:00 in the morning. i wake up crying and my legs are moving around trying to make the pain go away. i stumbled across the fact that i can make it go away with hydrocodone pills but i hate that druggie/hazy feeling i get when i take them and i don’t want to end up addicted to them. at first i thought it was part of my restless leg syndrome but it doesn’t have the creepy crawly feel to it that the rls has, and it isn’t in the rest of my legs. i have been taking glcosamine/chondroitin three times a day and it seemed to work for about a year and now it’s back. does anyone have this and what are you taking for it. does anyone have any suggestions. i really don’t want to be up that early in the morning. can it be something new that is partnering with my diabetes?
Hi Debb,
Some years ago when my knees started acting up I found that if i put some pillows under them instead of letting them be either stretched out or bent in certain positions (like on the side) for periods of time it helped them. A doctor friend had told me that the tendons and ligaments get some spasms in them when they stay in certain positons for periods of time and if you take that stretch off them they don’t spasm so bad. The pillows helped me but the problem with them is that when you turn in bed you have to move them too. If it helps with the pain the moving the pillows is just another thing to have to do and if it works to ease the pain is worth it. Another thing I started doing after that was a massage to each knee, but it has to be done each night before bed. The pillows seemed to work best for me. Hope this helps.
I know my bf has been also having pain in his knees, in the middle of the night and spreads out all day. For him, the doctor said a little bit of weight loss would help, but also the arches in his feet are insanely high.
Therefore he was sent to an Chiropodist. He was given orthotics because of his high arches and the way he carried himself due to his arches. He now has no pain. So just a suggestion that maybe it has something to do with your feet and how you carry yourself.
Are you sleeping in the same position all night? Most people unconsciously reposition themselves repeatedly during the night. If you are not, you may wake up half way through the night in great discomfort. Make your bed conducive to movement – make sure you have enough room. Make sure your head pillow is new (replace it every six months). You should have a comfortable mattress in very good condition. You might want to try some gentle stretching exercises before bed. Make sure that you are sufficiently warm enough. Also, try supporting your thighs and knees with a pillow. If you are sleeping in the fetal position place a pillow between your legs as the knees take most of the weight of your upper body and thighs (even during sleep). Take an evening walk a few hours before bed. Then massage your legs with a cream that you prefer. And remind yourself to reposition yourself every few hours.